1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and more particularly, to an integrated packed fuel cell.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell in which a free energy change resulting from a fuel oxidation reaction is converted into electrical energy. Fuel cells utilizing methanol as fuel are typically called Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs). These DMFC's generate electricity by combining gaseous or aqueous methanol with air. DMFC technology has become widely accepted as a viable fuel cell technology that lends itself to many application fields such as: electronic apparatuses, vehicles, military equipment, the aerospace industry, and so on.
DMFCs, like ordinary batteries, provide DC electricity from two electrochemical reactions. These reactions occur at electrodes (or poles) to which reactants are continuously fed. The negative electrode (anode) is maintained by supplying methanol, whereas the positive electrode (cathode) is maintained by the supply of air. When providing current, methanol is electrochemically oxidized at the anode electrocatalyst to produce electrons, which travel through the external circuit to the cathode electrocatalyst where they are consumed together with oxygen in a reduction reaction. The circuit is maintained within the cell by the conduction of protons in the electrolyte. One molecule of methanol (CH3OH) and one molecule of water (H2O) together store six atoms of hydrogen. When fed as a mixture into a DMFC, they react to generate one molecule of CO2, 6 protons (H+), and 6 electrons to generate a flow of electric current. The protons and electrons generated by methanol and water react with oxygen to generate water.
In the past, when a conventional fuel cell is applied in portable electronic products such as notebook computers, PDAs, or camcorders, a control box containing circuit boards and various active or passive devices including control chips, resistors, inductors, capacitors or semiconductor chip is often needed to monitor and distribute the fuel content, concentration, current, and voltage of the fuel cell. Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram showing the energy management system 2 of a conventional fuel cell. As shown in FIG. 1, the energy management system 2 of the conventional fuel cell includes a control box 4 and a display 6, in which the control box 4 is connected to a fuel cell 8 and to a notebook computer 10. Obviously, the control box 4 will often cause extra burden when the entire setup is carried or otherwise relocated. Additionally, the required need for the control box 4 increases the overall fabrication cost.